1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the art of ice making in refrigerators and, more particularly, to a variable ice storage assembly within a refrigerator, as well as its method of use.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Automatic ice making systems for use in domestic refrigerators is well known. A typical ice making system includes an ice maker mounted within the freezer compartment of the refrigerator and an ice storage receptacle or bin supported beneath the ice maker for receiving the formed ice from the ice maker. The ice maker is commonly mounted within the freezer compartment adjacent the side or rear wall of the freezer compartment such that water and power can be readily supplied to the ice maker. The ice storage receptacle is supported by a shelf or other structure arranged beneath the ice maker within the freezer compartment. The ice storage receptacle generally extends across a significant portion of the freezer compartment and has a front end adjacent the freezer door. U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,979 to Linstromberg et al. is an example of a prior art ice making system.
It is known to prevent an ice maker assembly from sending ice cubes to a storage bin when the storage bin is not positioned to receive ice. In one proposed solution as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,976, a bin detection sensor, such as an inductive or optical sensor, is used to sense the presence of the storage bin.
Another aspect of conventional ice making systems is that they produce a fixed quantity of ice pieces. This leads to the problem of ice staleness for consumers who have relatively low ice consumption needs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,835,978 to Cole discloses a common means used to limit the quantity of ice formed by the ice maker. In Cole, an ice quantity sensor, constituted by a sensing arm, is periodically lowered into the ice storage receptacle for sensing the amount of ice supplied into the storage receptacle. An alternative ice sensing method is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,050,097 to Nelson et al., which discloses the use of an electronic optical system for sensing the presence of ice pieces within an ice bucket. However, Cole and Nelson et al. only provide single fixed level sensing systems, which results in a set volume of ice being produced and stored in an ice bucket.
To actually avoid the problem of ice staleness, it is desirable to limit the amount of ice available based on individual consumers ice consumption. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,619,858 and 4,719,762 illustrate past efforts to provide flexibility in the amount of ice produced and supplied to an ice bin.
The present invention addresses the need for easy delivery of fresh ice remotely from the refrigerator by providing a method and apparatus for selectively limiting the amount of ice dispensed into a variable ice storage assembly.